1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling flexible containers with a fluid, for example foodstuffs, such as cream, yoghurt, honey, fruit and vegetable juice and purées, medicines and similar.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known how consumers today have an extremely varied choice of products available to them in fluid form, especially foodstuffs, contained in flexible containers, for example formed of two films of plastic materials facing each other.
Filling the containers with a fluid is an extremely important operation which must satisfy a number of requisites: the container must be filled with a preset and constant quantity of fluid, the filling procedure must be rapid (to save on production costs), fluid must not be wasted by pouring it outside the container, the outside of the container must not be soiled by the fluid, filling must be performed in an sterile environment and further requisites still.
In the sphere of container filling apparatus the filler valve which fills the container with fluid when it is engaged to it, is of crucial importance.
One embodiment of such a valve is illustrated in the document EP-A1-0894723.
Such valves perform three essential functions in succession: they enable creation of a vacuum in the flexible container, filling of the container with the fluid and, lastly, the supply of a quantity of inert gases, to act as an anti-oxidisation barrier.